Using Global/Distributed Transactions in Java/JDBC with Oracle Real Application Clusters  Maintaining transaction integrity, and rolling back failed steps, becomes more difficult on a cluster. One option is to move some of the load balancing decisions to your code, and accounting for which cluster nodes you're using. Sachin Shetty shows how this works in the context of an Oracle Real Application Cluster.   [Java]

ONJava: 2005 Year in Review  2005 may not have seen a new version of Java, but it was a year of tremendous activity that saw Java assert its popularity, even while some wondered how well-suited Java is for its second decade. In this article, ONJava editor Chris Adamson wraps up the year in Java by looking back at some of the year's most popular articles.   [Java]

Bug Trackers: Do They Really All Suck?  The most complained-about development tool is often the bug tracking system. Matthew B. Doar, author of Practical Development Environments, offers advice on what to do about some of the most common frustrations with bug trackers, such as tracking bugs in multiple releases; tracking files affected by a bug; and more.   [O'Reilly Network]

Killer Game Programming in Java: A 3D Checkerboard, Part 2  In part one of this two-part excerpt from Killer Game Programming in Java, author Andrew Davison strode through some complex programming issues for developing Java 3D graphics, such as how to add shapes, lighting, and backgrounds to a Checkers3D application. Here in part two, Andrew continues the theme by demonstrating how to create a floating sphere for the Checkers3D app.   [Java]

Hibernate Class Generation Using hbm2java  Hibernate uses mapping files to express the mapping of Java classes to database tables. In a complex project, keeping mappings in sync with your Java code can be burdensome and error-prone. Fortunately, the hbm2java tool can automate this by generating POJO classes from the mapping files. John Ferguson Smart shows how to use hbm2java with Ant and Maven, and how to customize the behavior of the generated classes.   [Java]

Oracle Web Services Manager enables you to secure and manage your Web Services and SOAs in a non-intrusive manner. Add security and control over already-deployed applications for J2EE and .NET Web Services, without modification. The result is improved business agility and compliance. Download Oracle Web Services Manager for free today.

Through Project Looking Glass with Hideya Kawahara  3D has taken over video gaming. When will it take over mundane computing areas such as file managers, word processors, and desktop environments? Maybe soon, if Hideya Kawahara and the Project Looking Glass team have their way. John Littler explores the ideas, implementations, and possibilities of 3D interfaces in this interview.   [Linux]

Lightweight R/O Mapping  O/R frameworks map Java classes to database tables and SQL code. While popular, this approach is unpopular among DBAs, with the database at the mercy of an external tool. Another approach is to go the other direction: write tables and stored procedures and generate Java classes from that. Norbert Ehreke introduces Amber, a framework that embodies this approach.   [Java]

Killer Game Programming in Java: A 3D Checkerboard, Part 1  Our book excerpt today is for all you Java gamers, especially the 3D junkies--we know you're out there. In part one of a two-part series taken from Chapter 15 of Killer Game Programming in Java, author Andrew Davison describes how to create a scene in a Checkers3D application, using Java 3D. And check back next week when Andrew shows how to create a floating sphere for the Checkers3D app.   [Java]

Using and hacking Subclipse - the Subversion plugin for Eclipse  Subversion is a compelling replacement for the CVS version control system. This article shows how to access a Subversion repository (such as CodeShare) using the Subclipe Eclipse plug-in, and how to extend the plug-in itself.   [dev2dev Articles]

What Is On-Demand Computing  On-demand computing is a much-repeated term, but what does it mean, and what does it deliver? As Stephen Morris explains, autonomic computing, policy-driven workflows, and grid computing are all part of the answer.   [Java]

Managing and Monitoring JBoss, Part 2  In part one of this two-part excerpt from JBoss: A Developer's Notebook, authors Norman Richards and Sam Griffith covered how to use the Web Console and its MBeans to manage your web apps. In today's excerpt, learn how to create a monitor for your app, how to configure alerts to be sent via email, and how to manage JBoss from the command line.   [Java]

TCP Tuning and Network Troubleshooting  Information doesn't travel across networks in one big chunk--it goes in little packets wrapped in packets wrapped in packets. Sure, you know that, but did you know that a bit of measuring and a bit of tweaking can improve your networking performance by two orders of magnitude? Brian Tierney shows how.   [O'Reilly Network]

Managing and Monitoring JBoss, Part 1  In part one of this two-part excerpt from JBoss: A Developer's Notebook, you'll learn how use the Web Console (an advanced version of the JMX Console), how to work with its enhanced monitoring capabilities and MBeans, and how to create snapshots of your data over regular intervals.   [Java]

Hacking Swing: A JDBC Table Model  Databases have tables, Swing has tables. Why should it be a hassle to bring the two together? In this excerpt from Swing Hacks, authors Joshua Marinacci and Chris Adamson show you how to put some JDBC behind your table model, and bring your database to life in Swing.   [Java]

Peak performance tuning of CMP 2.0 Entity beans in WebLogic Server 8.1 and 9.0  Tuning CMP 2.0 EJBs is as much an art as it is a science. In this detailed article, Dmitri Maximovich takes the reader on a tour from concurrency strategies and caching between transactions, to the read-mostly pattern and choosing an optimal cache size.   [dev2dev Articles]

Hibernate for Java SE  For many, Hibernate goes hand in hand with Java EE as part of their enterprise development strategy. But what if you need access to your data access objects outside of the EE container? Jason Lee offers some strategy for getting and using a Hibernate session from Java SE code.   [Java]

Ruby the Rival  Bruce Tate's Beyond Java picks Ruby as the front-runner among languages that could succeed Java among enterprise developers? But what's so great about Ruby--and frankly, what's wrong with Java? We asked some top Java bloggers, authors, and developers what they think of Ruby's challenge.   [Java]

RFID Technical Challenges and Reference Architecture  Learn about some of the technical challenges associated with implementing RFID, and the BEA reference architecture that takes these challenges into account.  [dev2dev]

JBoss Cache as a POJO Cache  Typical in-memory cache systems can trip you up in ways you don't expect, from mangled object relationships to overly expensive serialization operations. A POJO cache offers a simpler, lower-maintenance alternative. Ben Wang uses JBoss Cache to show how POJO caches work.   [Java]

Hacking Swing: Translucent Windows  All Java windows are absolutely rectangular, so you can forget about creating a nice Winamp-like window for your Swing app, right? Wrong. In this excerpt from Swing Hacks, authors Joshua Marinacci and Chris Adamson show how you can use some imaging trickery to create arbitrarily shaped windows with Swing.   [Java]

XML Annoyances
Microformats and Web 2.0  Micah Dubinko begins a new column, XML Annoyances, which will explore what's happening to and with XML, and beyond, as the era of core XML specifications comes to a close. Micah will be paying special attention to the parts of XML that don't seem to work as well as they should--or just the parts that are the most annoying. In this first column, he looks at the role of microformats in Web 2.0 apps and services.   [XML.com]

What Is Struts  Chuck Cavaness takes you on a whirlwind tour of the Struts framework--an open source Java framework for building web apps--with overviews of many of it most important features, including Struts controller components, model layers, the Struts tag libraries, and presentation validation. Chuck is the author of Programming Jakarta Struts, 2nd Edition.   [Java]

The Community of Web 2.0  In this 48-minute audio program from the Web 2.0 conference, Tim O'Reilly speaks with Sun Microsystems COO Jonathan Schwartz and Mozilla Foundation president Mitchell Baker about developer communities, distribution, architectures and expandability, and the value of open source.   [Java]

Streamlining Your EJB Tests With MockEJB  Eoin Woods and Alexander Ananiev introduce the MockEJB framework, which facilitates easy, out-of-container EJB testing.  [dev2dev]

AJAX: How to Handle Bookmarks and Back Buttons  The clever in-page dynamics of AJAX make for richer web applications, but they don't necessarily tolerate the use of bookmarks or the browser's back and forward buttons particularly well. In this article, Brad Neuberg shows off a new framework that brings bookmarking and back-button awareness to AJAX.   [Java]

Test-Driven Development Using StrutsTestCase  JUnit and DbUnit can help test your web application, but they're not ideal for testing Struts Actions. Fortunately, the StrutsTestCase framework exists to help you close this gap in your testing coverage. John Ferguson Smart looks at how it works and what it can do for you.   [Java]

Is AJAX Here to Stay?  Jordan Frank takes a high-level look at the way AJAX is changing the Web and whether it's a technology that's going to stick around.  [XML.com]

Constructing Web Services with the Globus Toolkit Version 4  Grid computing allows you to combine processing, storage, databases, and other resources across a network, hiding the details from callers. As Birali Hakizumwami shows, the Globus Toolkit makes this easier by exposing the grid as a normal web service.   [Java]

Technologies to Watch: A Look at Four That May Challenge Java’s Development Dominance  Bruce Tate has a knack for identifying successful technologies. He was one of the early developers who identified the emergence of the Spring framework; he predicted the demise of EJB 2 technologies a full year before the EJB 3 expert group abandoned the older approaches. In his new book, Beyond Java, Bruce looks at four languages and technologies that may challenge Java's dominance in some development niches.   [Java]

What Is Ruby on Rails  Ruby on Rails is an impressive web development framework that will soon reach version 1.0. While there's a lot of buzz, it can sometimes be difficult to discern the steak beneath the sizzle. Curt Hibbs walks through the features and pieces of Ruby on Rails to show how it fits together and where its big benefits come from.   [ONLamp]

What Is Spring, Part 2  In part one of this two-part excerpt from Spring: A Developer's Notebook, authors Bruce Tate and Justin Gehtland showed you how to automate a simple application and enable it for Spring. Today, the authors will cover how to use Spring to help you develop a simple, clean, web-based user interface.   [Java]

Diagnostic Tests with Ant  Determining what's gone wrong with your software--source or binary--in a remote location is no simple task. Before taking a call and walking the user through error-prone troubleshooting, why not collect information about the user's system and the application files? Koen Vervloesem shows how you can do this with Ant.   [Java]

Demystifying Security Standards  Security is a fundamental aspect of architecture. This article, part of a series looking at security standards, introduces Web Services Security (WSS), Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) and Extensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML).  [dev2dev]

Eclipse Web Tools  The Eclipse Web Tools Platform (WTP) project aims to make web application development easier by attacking the problem from the tool side, providing Eclipse-based tools for creating and manipulating EJBs (optionally exposed as web services), data stores, and JSPs. Committers Jeffrey Liu and Lawrence Mandel introduce this new toolset.   [Java]

What Is Spring, Part 1  In this first of a two-part series excerpted from Spring: A Developer's Notebook, authors Bruce Tate and Justin Gehtland help you understand how you can use Spring to produce clean, effective applications. In part 1, they take a simple application and show you how to automate it and enable it for Spring.   [Java]

What Is Web 2.0  Defining just what Web 2.0 means (the term was first coined at a conference brainstorming session between O'Reilly and MediaLive International, which also spawned the Web 2.0 Conference), still engenders much disagreement. Some decry it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, while others have accepted it as the new conventional wisdom. Tim O'Reilly attempts to clarify just what we meant by Web 2.0, digging into what it means to view the Web as a platform and which applications fall squarely under its purview, and which do not.   [O'Reilly Network]